History Repeated - Part 17: Anything But Jolly

Tess wiped her mouth and leaned up against the wall. It was 4am and she'd been throwing up for the last ten minutes. She wondered when the morning sickness would let up.

"You right Tess?" Alex stood in the doorway looking in at her.

Tess looked up at him. It was only then that he had noticed the stream of tears sliding down her cheeks. "I don't want to do this on my own," Tess cried.

Alex rushed over to her. Holding her in his arms he told her, "You're not on your own in this Tess. I'm here."

"I know," Tess sobbed as she held Alex tightly and cried into his chest. "And I'm really grateful... I don't know what I'd do without you...But I want Nick here."

Alex rubbed Tess' back in an attempt to give her some sense of comfort. But it didn't seem to work.

"I know what I said Alex," Tess continued. "I know I said that I don't want to wreck his life... but that doesn't mean that I don't want him here and it doesn't mean that I don't want him to know his baby. I do... I want that more than anything in the world Alex."

"I know Tess," Alex whispered, knowing that every word Tess spoke was the truth. Tess didn't need to tell him. He knew.

"I've loved him forever," Tess whispered.

Alex pulled away and brushed the tears from Tess' face, "He's loved you forever too, Tess. I don't think he's ever stopped. He would give you the world if you asked him to."

Tess looked down for a moment before looking up at Alex and saying, "I already had the world when I had Nick. That's all I needed. But he took it all away, Alex. Now there's someone else that I need to think about... what if the baby thinks Nick is the world, just like I did... and then he takes it all away?"

Alex shook his head, "You and I both know that Nick would do the right thing if he knew. He'd love the baby to bits Tess."

Tess looked into Alex's eyes as she continued to pour her heart out to him. "I'm so scared Alex," She whispered. She was ready to give up the 'can do' attitude, and just admit how she felt. She was terrified.

Alex kissed her cheek and pulled her bag into his arms, "It'll be okay Tess... I promise. You'll be alright... with or without Nick."

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Alex entered the kitchen and found Tess cooking up a storm. "Oh yum! Rum balls!" He exclaimed as he saw the dish of them on the table.

Tess slapped at his hand as he attempted to grab one, "Wait till everyone else gets here Alex!"

Alex pouted, "After everything I did for you this morning, Tess"

Tess shook her head and gave in to Alex's antics, "Fine, you can have one, and one only."

Alex flashed a cheeky grin and shoved a rum ball in his mouth. "You call these rum balls? Bit skimpy with the rum, Tess."

"Well if you don't like them, don't eat them," Tess quipped. "Now out," she ordered.

Alex looked down at her, "Alright, I'll be good... I actually came in to see how you were, Tess."

"I'm alright," Tess said softly. "Still feeling a little off in the stomach, but it's not too bad."

"No. I mean how are you?" Tess was avoiding the real question.

She met his eyes, "I'm okay now Alex. It helped talking to you this morning... thank you." She didn't want to dwell on her moment of weakness, but she needed to thank Alex for being her shoulder to cry on.

Alex smiled, "It's nothing. A good ol' cry next to a toilet bowl is the best medicine!"

"Merry Christmas Alex," Tess said before moving in to hug him.

"Merry Christmas Tess," He answered, embracing her small figure.

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"Hello," Nick's voice echoed through the house.

Alex caught the expression on Tess' face as she heard Nick's voice. "You'll be right," He whispered, giving her shoulder a little squeeze. "The power of positive thinking, remember?"

The power of Alex Ryan, he meant, Tess thought to herself. Where would she be without him? He was her rock. She was so grateful to have him. Without him she would have crumbled.

"In here," Tess called from her position on the couch next to Alex.

As the Ryan clan entered the room, Tess felt a stabbing sensation at her heart. Sally had her arm around Nick's waist and Nick had his draped over her shoulders, whilst the kids were beaming with excitement. They were a picture of a happy family. The picture of love.

"Alex," Sally acknowledged her brother-in-law, her eyes then shifted to Tess. She stared for a moment before finally saying, "Hello Tess. It's been a long time."

"Not that long," Answered Tess. "Well... I guess it has been. Ah have a seat," she rambled.

As the family got comfortable in their various places around the lounge room, another voice boomed through the house, "Ho, Ho, Ho!"

Libby looked up at her mother, "Mummy, it's Santa!" She shrieked with excitment.

"Maybe he's got some presents for you squirt," Said Alex. "Go check it out."

Libby got up and barrelled into the man in the big red suit at the doorway to the room.

"You must be Elizabeth!" Santa exclaimed. "I've been watching you. I've seen you been bad and good."

"I was good most of the year!" Libby exclaimed.

"I know. That's why I got you this. Now I know it's not a real one, but it's all I could manage," He said, handing her a package.

Libby sat down and ripped it open. Inside was a My Little Pony. She laughed in delight.

"Looks like a winner old man," Alex grinned at a disguised Harry.

"Alex, shut up!" Tess hit him across the shoulder with her hand. She didn't want him wrecking the myth for Libby.

"Sorry," Alex said, rubbing his chest. "Time for our pressie's now!"

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Tess this is beautiful," Sally said, sniffing the perfume she had just sprayed herself with. She shoved her wrist under Nick's nose, "Isn't it beautiful Nick?"

Nick just nodded, "Yep."

"I'm glad you like it," Tess said politely. Is this how it was going to be for the entire day? Were they going to tip toe around each other only talking when necessary?

"Nick this is for you," Tess said, handing him his present.

Inside Nick found a top of the range cordless drill.

"I figured you could use a new one since Alex and Stevie always seem to be pinching yours," Tess explained her reasoning behind the gift.

He looked up at her, astonished by the extravagant gift he'd been given, "Socks and undies my foot."

"Yeah well I had to keep you off the scent," Tess smiled as a look passed between the two of them.

Sally glared at Tess. What a gift to give. "That must've cost you a fortune," She said.

Tess looked at Sally, "Yeah well I couldn't really think of much else so I thought I'd go practical."

Alex sensed the tension, "Ah so Nick's got something for you, haven't you Nick?"

Nick nodded and handed Tess her present with a grin.

Tess shook the present at her ear, "Hmmm, I wonder what this is," She said knowing exactly what it was. She could smell the coffee beans from inside the wrapping.

And when she opened it, she had found what she'd expected, Gungallan Coffee.

Tess flashed a smile as a small laugh escaped her, "My favourite."

"There's something else too," Nick said getting up from his seat. "But you gotta go outside to see it."

Sally rolled her eyes. What the hell was Nick up to? He hadn't told her that he'd gotten Tess something else! It must've really been something if Tess had to go outside to see it.

"Alex and I went halves in it," Nick continued as everyone followed him outside.

He led them to where Tess had kept her previous Alpacas before they were sold. Before they were even there Tess heard the familiar noise coming from the shedding.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asked excitedly. She knew the call of an alpaca.

"Yep," Nick and Alex answered in unison.

Tess squealed in delight as she launched herself onto Nick. With all the excitement of the moment, she'd forgotten who's husband he was. When she remembered she instantly backed away.

"Thanks," she said to Nick before she moved towards Alex and hugged him, berrying her head into his chest with shame.

He gave her a little pat on the back, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "We thought we'd kill two birds with one stone. It'll get rid of the foxes and give us something to laugh at as well," He laughed.

Tess whacked him across the chest when she'd recovered from her embarrassment, "Not funny Alex."

"Don't you think that it's a bit extravagant boys?" Harry said exactly what Sally had been thinking. He hadn't intended to sound like a scrooge but he had.

"Get away old man," Alex remarked. "It's christmas."

Sally scrunched up her nose, "I might just go check on the turkey since it's unattended." She wasn't going to stand by and watch them all fuss over the alpaca, Tess' alpaca!

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